The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-11-03

nance, Rockingham, Warren, in North
Carolina. and Pittsylvania and Hall
fax, in Virginia. Now that area has
been extended by the addition OF the
extreme Eastern counties OF Nasn'
Wayne and Lenoir Of the middle
counties of Wake, Chatham, Clifford,
Stokes and Forsythe; of the Yves
tern counties Of Catawba, CASTOR,
Iredell and Mcdowell, and the trans
montana counties Of Buncombe, Mad
ison, Haywood, Henderson, lancy
and Pennsylvania. ~
VALVE OF THESE LANDs-COST OF PRO
DUCTION.
Granville and Rockingham may be
taken as fairly typical as to the char-
acter ofthe product, value oithe lands
cost of production, etc.
In Granville county the price OF the
best lands is $40 per acre, yield 900
pounds. Inferior lands are worth S
to 81, yield 500 of inferior tobacco.
The rental value is onefourth OF the
crop, or for. the best lands SIS IN
money Der acre. Estimate cost of a
crop of fine tobacco for one man, viz:
acres, wages by the day for field
hands, 20 cents and board, by the
year $50 with board, without, 500 to
$40. Product I, 400 lbs, price IS cents
total $40; cost of making this, in
GLIDING rent of land, fertilizers s152.5o;
cost per 100 lbs s12.S7H cts. Profit
per 100 lbs, s22.I2H cents-s265.5o.
In Rockingham county, price OF good
tobacco land $40 to SIS per acre;
Weld of such lands with manure 500
pounds-infrior lands are worth S.
to 81 and yield with manure 500 lbs
inferior tobacco. The rental one
fourth of crop, wages by the day, men
40 cents, women IS with board. EST
m tied cost of raising crop on two
acres in this county. Total cost sI12.
Product 1900 lbs. Price 22 cents,
total S264. Profit SI52.
CURING THE TOBACCO.
This is now done generally in barns
made of logs, plastered with mud,
from IS to IS feet square, and by flue
heat. Air curing was first practlced
until the demand for fine leaf required
better results with more certainty.
Charcoal curing was the first step for
ward. The honor of being the first to
use charcoal in curing tobacco lies
between Capt. Abishai Slade and Mr..
VIM. Long, both men of marked
sagacity, energy and success in tobac-
co planting. This was about the year
1894, but this method was found ex-
pensive, difficult to regulate, soiling
the plant with dust and SCOT, and often
giving it bad favor. DR.. Davis &.
Tuck, Of Halifax county, Va, was the
first to use fues in curing tobacco, and
was granted patent therefor in 1890.
To DIR. Tuck also belongs the credit of
introducing the thermometer as a
guide IN the curing process. The plan
of the Tuck fue was large single
furnace, the mouth of which opened
inside of the barn, and the furnace
terminating in chimney on the out
side. The defective construction OF
this Aue caused many of them to burst
and burn the barns, and consequently
they never came into general use. The
first fiues were of stone or brick, or
were trenches covered with sheet iron,
| tho horr
Iron fues are now almost univer-
sally adopted, as they are cheapest, and
the heat can be regulated with the ut
most nicely; rapidly raised with dry
wood and as rapidly lowered by draw
ing the fires, but requiring great care
and vigilance in their management.
The process of curing tobacco by
fire is the most difficult and delicate in
the whole course. Experience alone
will make a curer of fine tobacco, and
that only of one who possesses nice
judgment, excellent powers of observa-
ton and care. A trifing inattention
may, at critical moment, reduce barn
of the finest yellow tobacco to the
lower grades. If the fire is allowed to
die out or decline after the leafs cured
the sap remaining in the stalks or stems
will diffuse itself through the leaf and
mar the color Incidentally in twenty
four hours and, on the other hand,
too much heat will cause sweating,
which will, unless checked by speedy
ventilation, both injure the color and
impair the body and texture. In
order to prevent this it is necessary to
use thermometer, hung level with
the tails OF the plants on the lowest
tier, and to guard the degree of heat